DC All In Special (2024) #1📖

It’s been a long time since I read superhero comics, although I did read a lot when I was (much) younger. I’ve seen several “resets” of comic book universes before, and I noticed that DC had a new one starting a little while ago. What actually happened is that I saw a reviewer I trust liked Absolute Wonder Woman and looking into it, I saw that this reset had happened and the Absolute world had been created. I was curious about this reset and saw it as an opportunity to start reading without having to catch up a lot, and apparently the DC All In Special served as a kind of introduction to the new world.

▽ The cover for the Omega issue. Both covers have the same artist and colourer, Daniel Sampere and Alejandro Sánchez, and show well the dual nature of the volume. While the Alpha cover shows the Earth-0 main heroes, the Omega shows the new Absolute variants.

The comic itself is a one-shot with two parts, as if it were two single issues, one Alpha and the other Omega. Each of the stories is independent, but they support each other. I won’t go into much detail on the story, but the Alpha issue starts after some catastrophic events as the Justice League reinvents itself. While in the process of doing so, things take an unexpected turn (1) (1)Well… how unexpected was it really?? and a breach is created into the new Absolute Universe.

▽ Superman shown in the Alpha issue, by Daniel Sampere, coloured by Alejandro Sánchez.

That part of the story may be of great interest to regular readers, but for newcomers (or returning readers), it offers little. And also, not that much is explained yet. I can expect there are plans to use this more on the regular comic lines, and also to use a lot of what happens here in crossovers, but as an intro it’s not great, and I don’t think I’d be super enthused if I had recently been following the DC Comics main series.

▽ Superman shown in the Omega issue, by Wes Craig and coloured by Mike Spicer.

The Omega issue ends, essentially, in a very similar state, but we see a completely different viewpoint. There’s a lot hinted at regarding things that may be discovered later on… but apart from hints, little is revealed. It also doesn’t give me too much, and really helps neither as an introduction nor as a noticeable step forward for regulars(2) (2)I should say that a main character may have evolved or changed their goals with far-reaching implications. I guess this is the main thing, but there’s little reason to understand why yet, so when considering the comic by itself, it doesn’t give the reader too much. . The art is very different, but I do find it interesting, more emotional.

In general, I find it a bit of a disappointment. As a possible introduction to a new universe for potential new readers (wholly new or returning), it can be skipped easily, and as for itself… maybe I’m missing something, but I was not very impressed. The art is good though, of course.